Category Archives: hm-movies-and-mysteries-reviews

Time for Them to Come Home for Christmas

Time for Them to Come Home for Christmas

This blog post is sponsored by Divine Desserts Publishing. If you like movies such as Time for Them to Come Home for Christmas then you should read Sugar and Spice. Sugar and Spice is an endearing, rich, wholesome Christmas book that you’ll never forget.

Sugar and Spice is about a friendship, which grows into love, between Mason and Sheila. It’s a Christmas novella full of love, regrets, and forgiveness. There’s also a bakery and plenty of delicious desserts wrapped within this amazing story. Can Mason and Sheila find the courage to overcome their hang-ups and learn to love again? Sugar and Spice has been an Amazon bestselling novel with several 5-star reviews! Purchase today and tell your friends by sharing this blog post!

Sugar and Spice is an endearing, rich, wholesome Christmas book that you’ll never forget.

Click the link at the end of this blog post to purchase.

Now, let’s discuss Time for Them to Come Home for Christmas.

This was such a sweet and endearing movie.

Jane is on her way to an event via bus. She’s held up by a snowstorm, and is forced to find a place to stay. While crossing a bridge, on her way to a place of lodging, she’s struck by a car. When she wakes up in the hospital – she doesn’t remember anything about her life, or who she is. She suffers from amnesia. She doesn’t have a purse, or ID, so, the staff can’t find out her name.

Her nurse, Paul, is sympathetic to her desire to attend a Christmas tree lighting. She discovers that she was on her way to the Christmas tree lighting when she was held up by the snowstorm. She figures if she goes to the lighting, then, maybe she’ll remember who she really is. Maybe she will see someone or something that would spark her memory. The event is several miles away – so they must take a long road trip to get there. Paul drives since the event is en route to his relatives’ house – where he’s going to be spending Christmas.

I liked the chemistry between Paul and Jane. They can’t act on their emotions because Paul doesn’t know if Jane might be married, and it’s implied she might have a child. As clues are discovered – such as Jane’s lost luggage – and Jane’s brief flashbacks of past events – her memory slowly evolves.

This is a Hallmark movie – so you know that things get rectified by the end! Of course, Jane is not married and is free to be with Paul.

Amnesia has been something that’s always interested me. The subject is strange, sad and fascinating at the same time. I wonder how this movie would have ended if Jane had NOT gotten her memory back? How do you move forward in life if you don’t know who you are? I’d imagine that in such a case, nowadays, it would be fairly easy to discover who somebody is by posting their picture on the news, letting people know that this person is seeking friends/relatives. But, even after finding their family and loved ones – what happens if your memory never returns? What if you have a husband and kids and you never remember who they are?

Could you rebuild your life after such an ordeal?

Do you, or anybody you know ever had amnesia? What was it like? Did it take long to regain memories?

This blog post is sponsored by Divine Desserts Publishing. If you like movies such as Time for Them to Come Home for Christmas then you should read Sugar and Spice. Sugar and Spice is an endearing, rich, wholesome Christmas book that you’ll never forget.

Sugar and Spice is about a friendship, which grows into love, between Mason and Sheila. It’s a Christmas novella full of love, regrets, and forgiveness. There’s also a bakery and plenty of delicious desserts wrapped within this amazing story. Can Mason and Sheila find the courage to overcome their hang-ups and learn to love again? Sugar and Spice has been an Amazon bestselling novel with several 5-star reviews! Purchase today and tell your friends by sharing this blog post!

Sugar and Spice is an endearing, rich, wholesome Christmas book that you’ll never forget.

Click the link at the end of this blog post to purchase.

Thanks for listening and have an awesome day!

SUGAR AND SPICE – PURCHASE LINK

Color My World With Love

Color my World with Love – PODCAST

 

This blog post is sponsored by Divine Desserts Publishing LLC. If you like sweet, emotional love stories such as Color My World with Love then you must read Raspberry Kisses by Cecelia Dowdy. Raspberry Kisses is about Rhea, a widow and former pastor’s wife. Her world changes when she meets Martin Lane at a singles retreat. She vowed to never fall in love with another pastor. Can both of these lovebirds find the courage to overcome their hangups and learn to love again? Raspberry Kisses is on Amazon – purchase today and tell your friends by sharing this blog post!

Color My World With Love was such a sweet, inspiring movie. Emma is floored when she discovers that her daugher, Kendall, who suffers from Downs Syndrome, is dating. She’s doubly shocked when she finds out that Kendall becomes engaged to Brad (who also has Downs Syndrome).

Emma’s reaction was realistic. Nic, Brad’s guardian, tries to reason with Emma. Emma has a hard time letting go – she doesn’t think Kendall should marry. Kendall has a lot to do – she’s a painter – and she now has to plan for a wedding. Kendall wants her dad to come to the wedding. Her dad has never been a part of her life and I enjoyed seeing Emma confront Kendall’s wayward father – tried to reason with him – and convince him to come to the wedding.

This movie showed how those with disabilities strive to live their lives the best that they can.

As an aside – I did some research about the actress who played Kendall (Lily D. Moore). I discovered that she’s a student at Clemson. Clemson has a program entitled Clemson Life. The program teaches students with Downs Syndrome life skills. The students learn these skills while living on a college campus. I’d never heard of such a program before and I was glad that I found out about it. I love learning new things.

Color My World With Love reminded me of Life Goes On – a 90’s series that featured a Downs Syndrome main character named Corky. This used to be one of my favorite shows. Ironically, one of the actresses from Life Goes On, Kellie Martin, is also a Hallmark actress. Kellie played the role of Becca on this show.

I had an aunt with Downs Syndrome. When I was a kid, she used to come and spend the entire summer with us. She was so much fun! I remember her knitting and crocheting all the time. We’d stay up late at night watching TV and talking. Those were some good times. She passed away years ago and I still miss her.

This blog post is sponsored by Divine Desserts Publishing LLC. If you like sweet, emotional love stories such as Color My World with Love then you must read Raspberry Kisses. Raspberry Kisses is about Rhea, a widow and former pastor’s wife. Her world changes when she meets Martin Lane at a singles retreat. She vowed to never fall in love with another pastor. Can both of these lovebirds find the courage to overcome their hangups and learn to love again? Raspberry Kisses is on Amazon – purchase today and tell your friends by sharing this blog post! To purchase Raspberry Kisses, simply click the link at the bottom of this post.

If you like to talk about Hallmark Movies then subscribe to CECELIA DOWDY’S Hallmark Movie Blog!. The Subscribe button is also at the bottom.

RASPBERRY KISSES

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Our Christmas Journey

Our Christmas Journey Podcast

This blog post is sponsored by Divine Desserts Publishing LLC. If you enjoy movies such as Our Christmas Journey then you should try Rocky Road Dreams by CECELIA DOWDY. Rocky Road Dreams is about a lawyer named Kyle Baxter. Kyle is on a month-long Christmas hiatus from his job. He rents a house on the Outer Banks for his extended vacation. Melanie Richards, his childhood friend, lives across the street. When they were kids, Melanie had a crush on Kyle’s identical twin brother Keith. Kyle never thought he stood a chance with Melanie since she was smitten with his brother. Keith is now married and both Kyle and Melanie are single.

Will Melanie give him a chance?

Kyle’s mom died when he was three and he barely remembers her. He’s determined to find out more about his mom. As Melanie and Kyle reconnect during the holiday season they take a long road trip during a snowstorm so that Kyle can find answers to his questions about his mother. The road trip is also something that Melanie must do so that she can save her business. See ceceliadowdy.com/books or click on the link at the end of this blog post to purchase Rocky Road Dreams. Rocky Road Dreams is available on Amazon.

Our Christmas Journey was a bit different than other Hallmark movies. The reason being that they had a major character with a disability. Off the top of my head, the only other Hallmark movie that I can recall that featured a character with a disability was Hats Off to Christmas.

Our Christmas Journey is about a family who is going away for the holidays. Their trip is not for pleasure. Marcus is a boy teenaged boy with autism. His father, Rick, wants to enroll Marcus in a special program. In order to be considered for the program, the family must bring Marcus to the special-program site so that he can be observed over the weekend. Lena, Marcus’s mother, is surprised that she must drop her son off and have no contact with him for a few days.

During their stay at a nearby house Lena reconnects with Rick. Rick is her ex-husband. Their old feelings return. I like that they both bonded over their son. Rick wants his son to be a part of this program because he believes it will help him. Marcus is not verbal and he sometimes uses sign language to communicate with his family.

One scene that resonated with me was when Mia, Marcus’s sister, has a heart-to-heart talk with her mother, Lena. She mentioned that she always felt that Marcus came first in their lives – and she always had to play second fiddle to her brother – and it hurt. She sacrificed an important event – an event that meant a lot to her – in order to go out of town for the weekend. She said that she wished that her parents paid her more attention. She understood that Marcus had special needs, but, she felt that her needs were pushed aside as if she didn’t matter.

Lena is hurt that Mia feels this way. She apologizes for her past actions.

I’ve often heard that when a family has a child with a disability, the other child/children often feel slighted. They feel that the special-needs child gets all of the attention while their needs are not considered. I can imagine it being hard to give equal attention to all of your children when one child requires special care and attention. Just seeing that scene made me stop and think.

I was glad to see the African-American characters and the special-needs child. Hallmark has really stepped up to the plate regarding diversity over the last four years. Our Christmas Journey is a nice, gentle feel-good Hallmark movie which I highly recommend. 

Holly Robinson Peete was probably chosen for this role since she has a son who is autistic. You can see more about her, and her family’s personal life on Meet the Peetes, a reality show. I believe it was originally aired on Hallmark Channel. Currently, you can see it on Amazon Prime or Discovery +.

This blog post is sponsored by Divine Desserts Publishing LLC. If you enjoy movies such as Our Christmas Journey then you should try Rocky Road Dreams by CECELIA DOWDY. Rocky Road Dreams is about a lawyer named Kyle Baxter. Kyle is on a month-long Christmas hiatus from his job. He rents a house on the Outer Banks for his extended vacation. Melanie Richards, his childhood friend, lives across the street. When they were kids, Melanie had a crush on Kyle’s identical twin brother Keith. Kyle never thought he stood a chance with Melanie since she was smitten with his brother. Keith is now married and both Kyle and Melanie are single.

Will Melanie give him a chance?

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Kyle’s mom died when he was three and he barely remembers her. He’s determined to find out more about his mom. As Melanie and Kyle reconnect during the holiday season they take a long road trip during a snowstorm so that Kyle can find answers to his questions about his mother. The road trip is also something that Melanie must do so that she can save her business. See ceceliadowdy.com/books or click on the link at the end of this blog post to purchase Rocky Road Dreams. Rocky Road Dreams is available on Amazon.

Enjoy this blog post? Subscribe to CECELIA DOWDY’S Hallmark Movie Blog!

ROCKY ROAD DREAMS BOOK LINK

Rocky Road Dreams – Christmas Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Fans Will Love This

All Hallmark Fans MUST read ROCKY ROAD DREAMS by Cecelia Dowdy! Christmas, romance and mystery all rolled into one incredible story! Download your copy from Amazon! Tell a friend by sharing this blog post!

Angels and Ornaments

This blog post is sponsored by Divine Desserts Publishing, LLC. If you like movies such as Angels and Ornaments, then you MUST READ The Bakery Romance Series by Cecelia Dowdy at ceceliadowdy.com/books. The Bakery Romance Series is a heartwarming Amazon bestselling romance series. The book link is also at the end of this blog post.

Have you ever seen an angel?

Corrine works in a music store with her good friend Dave. Dave is the owner of the music store. Dave has a crush on Corrine but has never acted on it. A Help Wanted sign is placed in the window and Harold, a mysterious man, is hired as a new employee of the music store.

Harold tries to orchestrate the romance between Corrine and Dave. He tells Dave that he must show Corrine his romantic side. Harold also instructs Dave to dress in better clothing and to compliment Corrine. Harold believes if Dave does these things, then Corrine will fall in love with him.

Corrine has a wonderful singing voice. She is dealing with Tim, her cheating ex-boyfriend. Tim’s a jerk and she shouldn’t consider giving him another chance. But she considers giving him a chance when he reconnects with her.  Harold stresses that Tim will hurt her again and that she should not give him a second chance.

Corrine is skeptical about Harold. Who is he? She can’t find any information about him on the internet.

Corrine is mesmerized about the lovestory between her deceased grandparents. Her grandfather was deployed and during his absence, he wrote a song for Corrine’s grandmother. He sent her the sheet music, piece by piece. The last piece of music was received by Corrine’s grandmother on Christmas Eve. Corrine is later granted the wonderful opportunity to sing her grandfather’s Christmas song solo at a community center fundraiser.

It’s later determined that Harold is actually Corrine’s grandfather – returning as an ‘angel’. Harold is reunited with his wife, in death, after his angelic assignment is over.

The plot for Angels and Ornaments was similar to the Hallmark movie Five More Minutes. The elements that are in both movies are:

  1. The Help Wanted sign to hire someone for the business.
  2. The angel who shows up as the new hire.
  3. The angel is actually a deceased grandparent.
  4. The angel guides the characters in the movie and assists them in solving their problems.

You may see my views about angels being portrayed as deceased friends or family members by listening to my post about Five More Minutes.  

I thought Angels and Ornaments was a good movie. I didn’t think that the chemistry between Corrine and Dave was very strong. I didn’t pick up on Dave having a crush on Corrine until Harold came along and said something about it. Maybe the chemistry wasn’t strong because Dave worked hard to hide his feelings since he didn’t want to lose Corrine as a friend.

So, have you ever seen an angel? If the answer is ‘yes’ then leave a comment and tell me more about it.

This blog post is sponsored by Divine Desserts Publishing, LLC. If you like movies such as Angels and Ornaments, then you MUST READ The Bakery Romance Series by Cecelia Dowdy at ceceliadowdy.com/books. The Bakery Romance Series is a heartwarming Amazon bestselling romance series. The book link is also at the end of this blog post.

THE BAKERY ROMANCE SERIES BOOK LINK

My Family Christmas Tree

My Christmas Family Tree

This blog post is sponsored by Divine Desserts Publishing LLC. If you like movies such as My Family Christmas Tree then you MUST READ Caramel Kisses by Cecelia Dowdy. Caramel Kisses is a novel about Michael Gray, an elderly man who wants to find the biological daughter of his deceased wife. When his wife was on her deathbed, she admitted to having a child, and giving that child up for adoption, before she met Michael. She wants Michael to find her daughter and make sure she’s okay. You may purchase Caramel Kisses, a best-selling novel, from Amazon. Go to https://ceceliadowdy.com/caramel-kisses/ or simply click on the link at the end of this blog post.

Do you know anybody who has searched for a biological parent?

My Christmas Family Tree is about a woman named Vanessa. Her mom is dead and she’s never known the identity of her biological father. Vanessa lives alone. She celebrates the holidays by herself, along with her dog. It’s nice to see that she does have a good friend, Dee Dee, since she has no family of her own.

Using a DNA service, she’s matched with Richard. Richard is her biological father.

It’s awkward for Richard to tell his family about Vanessa. His kids are puzzled as to how he can have a biological daughter whom they’ve never met.

Since this is a Hallmark Movie you know they MUST have a romance. While visiting her biological father and his family Vanessa bonds with Kris. Kris is a close friend of Richard’s family.

Vanessa does not initially get along with Richard’s children. They are skeptical about her presence in their home.

Questions arise from the DNA service – they wonder if they’ve given Vanessa the correct information. Is she really a match, or, did they make a mistake?

Vanessa feels torn about telling her new family about the phone call from the DNA service. She’s grown to love them – plus she’s fallen in love with Kris – how can she tell them that she might not be a part of their family? She has to find the courage to tell them that the DNA family matching service may have made a mistake.

I really liked this movie because I’ve often wondered what it would be like not to know the identity of one, or both, of your parents. If I’d grown up not knowing who my dad was, I’d feel as if a huge part of myself would be missing. I’d wonder about my dad’s identity and since I’m naturally a curious person, I probably would have done the same as Vanessa. I would have tried to find my dad and reached out to him.

So, do you know anybody who has searched for a biological parent?

This blog post is sponsored by Divine Desserts Publishing LLC. If you like movies such as My Family Christmas Tree then you MUST READ Caramel Kisses by Cecelia Dowdy. Caramel Kisses is a novel about Michael Gray, an elderly man who wants to find the biological daughter of his deceased wife. When his wife was on her deathbed, she admitted to having a child, and giving that child up for adoption, before she met Michael. She wants Michael to find her daughter and make sure she’s okay. You may purchase Caramel Kisses, a best-selling novel, from Amazon. Go to https://ceceliadowdy.com/caramel-kisses/ or simply click on the link at the end of this blog post.

CARAMEL KISSES BOOK LINK

CARAMEL KISSES AMAZON LINK

Sweet Dreams – On Sale for 99 cents for a Limited Time!

If you like Hallmark Movies & Hallmark Movies and Mysteries, then you’ll LOVE SWEET DREAMS! Download today for 99 cents! Hurry, the price will go back up in a few days!

Tell your friends by sharing my blog post and/or sharing this link! Enjoy!

Boyfriends of Christmas Past

Boyfriends of Christmas Past Podcast

This blog post is sponsored by Divine Desserts Publishing LLC. Come and check out our Christmas romance titles. If you like wholesome, old-fashioned love stories then you will enjoy our books!

Have you ever wondered about your past boyfriends? Ever wonder what would have happened if the two of you had stayed together?

Lauren has been friends with Nate for a long time. She’s always had a hard time with love. She’s been in a number of romantic relationships. Her relationships always end when her significant other expresses his true feelings for her. Whenever one of her past boyfriends say “I love you” Lauren ends the relationship.

In a plot reminiscent of A Christmas Carol, Lauren is taken on a journey to her past relationships. Throughout these breakups, Nate has been there for her. He’s her go-to friend for support. But, Nate is hiding a huge secret. He’s in love with Lauren, but, he’s never found the courage to tell her his feelings. I think he sees that Lauren is scared, too scared to commit to love, and Nate doesn’t want to spoil their friendship by telling her the truth.

Lauren has feelings for Nate and when she is faced with a huge decision, she doesn’t like the feeling of seeing Nate with another woman. 

Lauren’s fear stems from her childhood. A long time ago, her mom abandoned her and her dad at Christmas, as a result, Lauren is fearful of romantic commitments. Just stop and think about that for a minute. Can you imagine being abandoned by your mom as a youngster, and never seeing her again? It’s one thing when your mom dies, but, when your mom willingly abandons you? Can you imagine how that’d make you feel? It’s possible that Lauren didn’t feel worthy of love, which is why she pulled away from her past relationships.

Nate has been patient with Lauren for years, but, he reaches a breaking point. He’s tired of being Lauren’s “safe” supportive friend. He wants something more, and Lauren bravely finds the courage to accept Nate’s love.

This movie shows how hard it is to let go of past pains and learn to embrace the future. This movie was a good, heartwarming Christmas story. 

So, have you ever wondered about past relationships? Do you ever wonder what would have happened if you’d stayed with one of your former boyfriends? Leave a comment!

This blog post is sponsored by Divine Desserts Publishing LLC. If you like good wholesome movies like Boyfriends of Christmas Past then try our Christmas romance novels. Tell your friends by sharing this blog post! Merry Christmas!

CHRISTMAS BOOK LINK

The Good Witch Movies 1-7

THE GOOD WITCH MOVIES 1-7 – A PODCAST

If you like wholesome shows like The Good Witch Movies then you must read Rocky Road Dreams by CECELIA DOWDY. It’s a warm, wonderful wholesome Christmas romance! I guarantee you’ll fall in love with the hero! See the purchase link at the end of this podcast!

What’s your favorite Good Witch Movie?

I really enjoyed The Good Witch Movies. There were little quirks and idiosyncrasies that bothered me, I must admit.

I love watching Cassie in the kitchen, baking up some wonderful stuff for her friends. I can relate to Cassie’s character since I love making cookies as well as other treats for friends and family.

I enjoyed seeing the first GW movie because it gave some background to Cassie’s character. She rescues and befriends the police chief’s children (Brandon and Lori). The three of them bond and I liked how Cassie helps the children to heal both physically and emotionally.

Just as I was annoyed with Martha in The Good Witch Series, I was also annoyed with her in these movies. Martha, who is the mayor’s wife, is a busybody who objects to Cassie’s presence in their small town. Martha believes that Cassie practices black magic. I found it interesting that Martha and her husband have 2 misbehaved young adult boys. I don’t recall Martha’s children being included in The Good Witch series?

The town continues to object to Cassie’s presence, and as she continues to date Jake (the police chief), a stranger (Nick) appears stating that Grey House, the home which Cassie owns, is legally his. I found this story thread a bit over the top. Lori is able to find out the truth about Nick from a research project she’s doing for school. She’s able to prove that his claim to ownership is totally false. I found this implausible. An entire town believes this stranger – and Cassie is about to lose her house – but a child finds out the truth about everything from a school project? Bizarre! Seems like Nick should be brushing up on his investigative skills! Or, maybe the town lawyer could’ve cracked this case?

A lot happens during these movies. Cassie and Jake marry and Brandon and Lori grow up and go to college. What I found fascinating was that Cassie becomes mayor and Martha Tinsdale is a councilwoman. Later, Martha becomes mayor. In The Good Witch Series Cassie’s cousin Abigail becomes mayor for a little while. Strange how the mayor-ship is passed on to these three women.

I liked seeing Brandon and Lori bond with Cassie. Brandon is bothered by a bully, and Cassie helps him to conquer the situation in a touching and unusual way. Since they don’t have a mom, Cassie fits in perfectly with their family. When Brandon announces his engagement, Cassie helps to plan his wedding.

Cassie also gives birth to her daughter Grace. I wished that the same actress who plays Grace on the series, could have been used in the movie. The actress who portrays Grace as a young child doesn’t resemble the teenaged Grace.

I felt that Martha’s mayoral power was a bit over the top. I thought it was downright ridiculous when she made the entire police department wear uniforms with bow ties. Who does that? I felt that it was implausible. I’d imagine the mayor would have more important things to worry about than bow-tied policemen.

In spite of the implausible plot threads, I thought the movies were good, clean stories that families can watch together.

Have you seen The Good Witch movies? Which one is your favorite?

If you like wholesome shows like The Good Witch Movies then you must read Rocky Road Dreams by CECELIA DOWDY. It’s a warm, wonderful wholesome Christmas romance! I guarantee you’ll fall in love with the hero! See the purchase link at the end of this podcast!

ROCKY ROAD DREAMS PURCHASE LINK!

A Little Christmas Charm

Have you ever owned a charm bracelet?

Holly, a jewelry designer, and Greg a reporter are on a race against time, trying to find the owner of a charm bracelet.

I thought this movie was whimsical and kind of cute. After Holly finds a mysterious, expensive charm bracelet in the pocket of a donated coat, she’s determined to find the owner. She figures the bracelet was left in the donated coat pocket by mistake.

Greg is a reporter and he’s struggling with his career. He made a big mistake on a news story some time ago, and he’s never forgiven himself. Now, he needs a great, breaking story to salvage his career.

He literally bumps into Holly and the twosome join forces as they search for clues – hoping to find the owner of the bracelet by December 23rd – just in time for Greg’s deadline. He wants to feature the charm bracelet story in the next edition of the newspaper.

I thought the clues were so contrived. I mean, if this were a real mystery, I find it hard to believe that Greg and Holly would’ve been able to solve it using the clues that were in the movie. Some of the clues made sense and some of them didn’t.

So, have you ever owned a charm bracelet? Was the bracelet sentimental?